Love is a Doing Word
by Ellie 5192
Summary: "The night was dark and oppressive outside the windows, dusk long settled, and the abundance of Thanksgiving food since gone cold, the sense of festivity lost while waiting for one of their own." Post-4x14 one-shot. Written for Meshu, Jules and Shelley (about twenty years ago).


_For Meshu, Julia and Shelley, who all asked for things that lead to this story. Bless you all, I love you muchly._

 _Love, love, is a verb…_

 **Love is a Doing Word**

The anaesthetic was taking a while to wear off, but they were told that might be the case. The surgery had gone well – slowly, and painstakingly accurate for fear of dislodging the clot – but well, nonetheless. And so now they wait, the squad taking turns to come in and watch over each other. It's an unofficial roster, exchanging paperwork for hospital duty or making coffee runs without being asked, but their case is all wrapped up, and they have yet to catch another in the hours since Hobbs left with a heavy heart.

One by one people left; first Taylor and Morales in the early afternoon, and then Amy to go to Cooper's parents for lunch, and Tao was not far behind her to join his family for an early dinner, back again late in the evening with coffee, and then gone for the night. Buzz left in time to go see his mother for dinner, just as night was setting in, but before Andy was moved from ICU. The arrival of Patrice boosted spirits and brought laughter at Provenza's expense, but before long she accompanied Rusty back to the condo, the two of them better company to each other. At Provenza's insistence Julio went home to his mother too.

The night was dark and oppressive outside the windows, dusk long settled, and the abundance of Thanksgiving food since gone cold, the sense of festivity lost while waiting for one of their own. It was good they brought so much food; it meant they could take over the waiting room and just stay there without complaint. They shared what they had with the meagre few who were also hospital-bound on Thanksgiving, keeping up the pretence of happiness, and ignoring the deep breaths Sharon would take to calm her wandering mind.

And then there were two.

The nurses let them stay past visiting hours under the pretence of legality – Provenza was power of attorney, and Sharon the closest to kin that Andy had waiting.

So they stayed, and when Andy was wheeled from post-op ICU to his room outside the nurse's station, they joined him there too.

There was mild irritation on his cheek from the tape that held the intubation in place. Sharon wanted to rub it with her thumb. She didn't.

Provenza was uncharacteristically quiet, and solemn. He'd been giving her funny looks all day, like he held a secret, but she didn't have the mental energy to wonder what it was about. Maybe the sight of his best friend lying supine and white in a hospital bed was enough to knock the bravado out of him, at least temporarily.

"Sharon" he said softly, pointing to the chair next to the window – the one with a foot rest as well. "I'll take first watch"

She smiled sadly at him, and patted his arm in thanks, watching as he settled into the chair on the other side of Andy and pulled a crossword book from his back pocket. She almost laughed at the sight. She reclined with her head pointed towards the window away from the dim light above Andy's bed.

Sleep didn't come, of course, but she was able to close her eyes and doze for long enough to feel relaxed. The doctor was confident Andy would make a full recovery, and seeing him back in his room (albeit unconscious) was a relief, especially as his heart monitor beeped steadily and his breathing came easily.

In the early hours of the morning Sharon insisted she swap places with Provenza, and was still trying to wrangle him out of his chair and into the recliner when they heard a faint huff of amusement. Startled, they both looked quickly to Andy's face, Sharon's arm still wedged under Provenza's elbow from their struggle.

Andy's eyes were cracked open, blinking long and slow. He had a smile on his face that looked a bit dopey, probably as a result of the medication.

"You fight him sweetheart" he mumbled, grinning wider at the two of them still frozen in place. "One more reason I love you"

And then, as quickly as he was awake, he passed out again, fatigue claiming him.

The two of them didn't move, their mouths agape. A moment later the night nurse came around to check on him, and the presence of a fourth person broke the spell of disbelief in the room.

"He just woke up" said Sharon quickly, pointing at Andy as the nurse checked his fluids and jotted down his heart rate on his chart. "But he fell right back to sleep"

The nurses nodded, not surprised. "He say anything?"

"Oh he sure did" blustered Provenza, eyeing Sharon with a meaningful look, and then shooting his partner a sardonic look that clearly meant 'moron'.

"Nothing that made much sense" said Sharon, sheepish and quiet, trying desperately to ignore Provenza's teasing, her face nearly burning with mortification. "I think he was still half asleep"

"That's not unusual" replied the nurse, nodding with a smile. "He'll wake up properly by morning"

And then she was gone, a soft 'goodnight' on her lips as she closed the door behind her again.

Sharon couldn't look at Provenza in the eye. She abandoned her fight, and instead retook her seat in the recliner, announcing her intent to sleep a little more, since he wouldn't. She turned her face away, and stared out the window at the few starts she could see through the LA light pollution. She couldn't wrap her mind around Andy's faux pas, but her heart was singing.

Now if only he would say it to her when he was fully conscious.

"You're an idiot"

The first words he heard as he opened his eyes, the dull light of morning shining through the white room, made him seriously consider falling back to sleep.

"You want to know what you said this morning?"

Andy blinked his eyes open, wincing at the light and his partner's tone. A quick look at the room showed it to be empty except for the two of them. Part of him was disappointed Sharon hadn't stayed, but at least there was someone for when he woke up.

"What?" he mumbled. "This morning?"

"Telling the Captain you love her when you're barely conscious and she can't even respond. Nice move"

"What?"

The fog in his head wouldn't clear, and damn if his body wasn't on fire it sure felt like it. His neck was dry and rough, and the itch in his skin was intense, though he resisted touching it.

"You better get up the courage to read her your damn letter, because I won't deal with her moping a moment longer"

Andy opened his eyes fully and gave his partner a long, suffering look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Provenza sighed. He thought this might happen. (Of course this would happen). He looked heavenward for a moment, seeking strength and guidance.

"You woke up in the wee hours this morning"

"You were here?"

He sounded oddly touched. Provenza very nearly hit him for thinking otherwise, and for interrupting him, and for looking like a little child in that bed while he was trying to berate him.

"Yes. And you might have mentioned a certain 'L' word to the Captain before you passed out again"

By the blanching of his face, Provenza guessed that Andy got the hint loud and clear.

"Oh no"

"Oh yes"

"Is she here? Did I scare her off, what did I say exactly?"

Before he could answer the door opened, and there in the doorway was the woman in question, a smile on her face, her eyes shining with relief at the site of Andy awake and lucid. She was in different clothes, her hair pinned back – Provenza must have sent her home to shower and change at some point.

"Andy" she said, her voice breathless with emotion. "You're awake"

He just smiled at her in turn. The two of them looked so disgustingly sweet that Provenza rolled his eyes at them, not that they noticed. He shuffled and looked at his feet when Sharon leaned over the side of the bed and kissed Andy chastely.

"Right, well" he started, moving towards the door. "Now that you're back I'm going. And you" he said, pointing at Andy, narrowing his eyes, wagging his finger. Andy couldn't really say anything without giving himself away, but he knew what he meant. He was in trouble if he didn't clean up this mess soon.

"Thank you Lieutenant" said Sharon, taking Andy's hand as she took a seat in the chair by his side.

He left them alone after that. Let the idiots figure it out for themselves. He had enough to worry about with his own love life.

He ended up telling it to her as they rested on her bed the day he was released. Her head on the pillow as close to his shoulder as she could get, his hand holding hers; he turned his head toward her and whispered it, positive she was still awake to hear it.

"Sharon? You don't have to say anything. But I love you. Just thought you should know"

And she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, and kissed him softly. It was chaste – Andy was still delicate and in pain – and she didn't say it back, but the look in her eye and her smile was answer enough for him. He had waited this long; he would wait a little longer to hear what he already knew to be true.

She pulled back from his lips with a grin, and very nearly a snort-laugh. His arms were still tightly around her waist, not an inch between them on the couch where they sat. She placed her hands on his chest, as much keeping him close as pushing him away, and smiled at him sheepishly, well aware that they only got so carried away because she let them.

He chuckled at her, his smitten grin enough to make her blush right to her hairline.

If not for pushing him away, she might have ended up with hickeys on the spot where her neck meets her shoulder, and that was enough to make her giggle in turn.

Thank the heavens Rusty was out!

"Maybe we should…" he started, shuffling back a little.

"Yeah" she breathed, nodding at him and placing her fingertips against her lips with a wry grin.

"Not that I don't-"

"No! I mean, yes, I do, very much, it's just-"

"I'm still in recovery" he finished, the two of them nodding at each other, trying not to laugh. It was serious – they did need to take his health into account so as not to impede his recovery. But it was still ridiculous, the two of them necking on the couch like teenagers when he's not a week out of major surgery.

"But this was…" he said, not finishing, his eyebrows waggling in a suggestive manner that betrayed his pleasure. She hummed at him, smirking, her eyes wide and clearly holding in a boisterous laugh that was threatening to escape.

"… great" he finished. "Really great. We should definitely do it again"

They took a moment to stare at each other with expressions like they wanted to rip each other's clothes off, flirty and thoroughly ridiculous.

"I love you" he said, the words becoming a bit of a habit though she still hadn't said it back. He didn't care – now the dam was broken he couldn't stop. "Have I said that? Because, I mean, I don't take it back or anything – I really mean it"

She smiled at him, soft and sweet and completely head over heals. "I know you do"

"But I'm still-"

"-in recovery, yes"

They grinned at each other.

"Raincheck?" he asked, running his hands up her back and down again to rest against her ribs, his thumbs stroking softly against her silky shirt.

"Absolutely" she said, her hand snaking to run through the hair at the back of his head, and then down to cup his neck. Her eyes fixated on his mouth, as though mentally restraining herself from leaning in and continuing. But the little furrow between her brows told him she was also thinking hard about something, and when she looked up he steeled himself.

"I love you too, Andy" she whispered. "I've waited long enough to say it, but I want you to know-"

"I know" he whispered back, cutting her rambling short and making sure to look her in the eye and convey it.

She smiled at him in thanks and love, and leaned in and kissed him softly once more. Then they settled back and snuggled on the couch, softly so as not to jostle him too much, arms around each other like it was the most natural thing in the world.


End file.
